Parking row: HC seeks Khan Market site plan

The Delhi high court on Friday began efforts to settle the parking row between the NDMC and traders at the posh Khan Market and sought the site plan of the market as a first step.

The Delhi high court on Friday began efforts to settle the parking row between the NDMC and traders at the posh Khan Market and sought the site plan of the market as a first step.

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This came after the two-judge bench’s suggestion, on the last hearing, to both sides to manage the parking lots on a partnership did not work out. The traders had moved court against New Delhi Municipal Council’s (NDMC) decision to convert the free parking zone in the area to paid parking. Traders had filed an appeal against a single judge’s order of last month, asking it to either agree to pay a monthly licence fee of Rs 5.34 lakh to the NDMC before June 6 to ensure free parking of vehicles or the civic body would be allowed to charge for the same.

“By July 26, place on record the site plan of Khan Market, demarcating the main market area and the places earmarked for parking — for traders as well as outsiders,” division bench of Justice SK Kaul and Justice Rajiv Shakdher directed the NDMC.

The court’s suggestion to both sides to manage the parking sites on a partnership fell through after the traders alleged that they did not exactly know the areas of the market meant for parking as they were not supplied with the site plan by the NDMC despite requests.

Traders contended that the NDMC’s decision to convert free parking to paid was discriminatory, as there are various areas in the NDMC zones, where free parking is permitted. “Paid parking would encourage the mafia,” the traders’ body argued.

Earlier, NDMC had taken the decision following the direction of Environment Pollution Control Authority.